Take What You Will

Take What You Will

Track Listings

1. Episode One

2. Still Running

3. All I Know

4. Alright

5. Anna

6. Coming Home

7. Glide

8. Shine

9. Eddie Willers

10. Mirror

11. Joining the Herd

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Their lyrics range from ironic, witty observations to quiet, honest emotion. Their songs stretch from upbeat pop tunes to delicate, soulful folk. And their live performances are never devoid of humorous, witty banter between the three members. Though not apparent while watching the band perform, Vale Jokisch (24), Matt Murphy (25), and Joel Price (27), have strikingly different musical influences. But the resulting blend of music that ellipsis creates is truly their own personal brand. The band's sound reflects the classical training and diverse influences of its members, with styles ranging from folk to rock, and from bluegrass and jazz. Though the arrangement process is a collaborative one, Vale, Matt and Joel each write songs individually for the group. One element that is present in all three songwriter's music is its lyrical depth. Each song is a personal observation, whether it be of their own emotions, personal experiences, or their perception of the world around them. Nowhere is this better reflected than in ellipsis's full-length studio release "take what you will," released in October, 2004. The album is a collection of honest, intimate thoughts that showcase wisdom beyond the young members' years. The album's first track, "Episode One," is a light, catchy pop tune whose saccharine sweet sound mocks the narrator's failure to discover her own reality. "Coming Home," a folkier piece, is a quiet reflection reminiscing about a life well-lived. Throughout the album ellipsis's signature sound comes through, with its mix of richly textured guitars, smooth, elegant violin riffs and sparkling, playful mandolin solos. Rising above the instruments is Vale's rich, resonant alto, which ranges from delicate to soaring on "Alright," and shifts to soulful and sexy on "Glide."

Product Description
Folk Pop/Soul Folk album from the acoustic trio, ellipsis.

Tracks:

Idle Hands Are The Devil's Playthings
Long Before
I Tried To Stay Health For You
The Cellar Song
(I was Drunk At The) Pulpit
There Is No-One what Will Take Care Of You
O Lord Are You In Need?
Merida
King Me
I Had A Good Mother And Father
Riding
O Paul

Amazon.com

It sounds as if it were recorded in the back of a barn or on the front porch of a farm in Kentucky with a single microphone to simulate the feel of an old Folkways field recording. The ensemble cast mixes and matches banjos and poorly strummed acoustic guitars with the occasional synthesizer piercing through the mix. The songs have an odd old-world fascination about them ("Riding," "I Had a Good Father and Mother," "I Tried to Stay Healthy For You") and the singer's delivery is untutored by pitch. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews:

My Musical Epiphany...........2006-04-19

Ahem, I have some glorious memories attached to this record. I had just moved to Atlanta, Ga for school when it came out. I went into Wuxtry records(still the best record store ever!!) and was looking for something new, since the small town I had moved from had no indie stores. I was already a fan of Royal Trux, so I spotted the Drag City logo on the back and decided to buy it. I listened to that CD religously every day for about a year. I love everything about it. How the band sounds like they might fall apart at any second, but never really does. I imagined them playing in a barn on a red-dirt floor with only one mic to record into and the guitarist having to step up to the mic for his solo's. Will channels the southern-gothic ambience of Flannery O' Connor and Carson McCullers perfectly. This made me a life-long fan of Mr. Oldham and I have purchased every release of his since. But since this is the one that hooked me, I always find myself going back to it. Besides, in my opinion, he hasn't recorded a finer song than "Merida" since. I remember seeing him on the "I See A Darkness" tour and I asked him to play it, and he said he didn't remember how too, I was so shocked!! Will is still turning out the great tunes, I recomend this one first since it is one of the most primitive, if you enjoy it, then you will love them all!!

A musical god.......2005-01-16

Well, well. One can spend a lifetime searching for music like this. If you're ready, this album (and most of his others) will beckon you into a new state of being. Raw and alive, it simply issues from a depth of subtlety few artists even touch.

Good Job, Bad Plan.......2003-04-08

Pavement may have invented Indie but The Palace Brothers perfected it. The goal of Indie bands, of course, is to sound amateurish, and the Palace Brothers have it down to a science. From the crudely painted cover to the unwieldy album title to the ever changing name of the band, the Palace Brothers ooze that unfinished mastery that all Indie bands strive for. This album really sounds like a live album of a concert in your living room recorded with your old mono cassette deck. Even the vocals are to strained to be real, as if the vocalist blew out his voice singing in the parking lot of the Dairy Queen the night before. It really sounds like a tape you made when you were ten, but you have to ask yourself, do you really want to listen to that? The quandary of Indie is simply this, does amateurish equal good? In the end amateurish is just amateurish, and there is a reason that bands strive for `studio perfection'. If you're into Indie, you'll love it, no doubt, but if your into a more polished sound this album will not convert you. I did like the fiddle. Best tracks are `Idle Hands Are The Devil's Playthings' and (I Was Drunk At The) Pulpit'.

Old time music.......2001-03-27

Oldham tacks a "Brothers" onto the Palace monicker, perhaps intentionally harking back to a time when groups were thus forthrightly named. And indeed, the music this time around is more Bill Monroe than Sonic Youth - there's even a sort of yodel, or a feeble hooting anyway, on "I Had a Good Mother And Father." A more gloomy and daunting track is "Riding," a throwback to the darkest of folk ballads, voices from the grave that tell of incest, abductions and worse. Oldham relies on these old tales and draws deeply from the hillbilly's Pentacostal fear of God. God, sin, prayer, and walking with Jesus are the foundations of the album. "Idle Hands Are the Devil's Playthings" is told as a straightforward morality tale; "(I Was Drunk At the) Pulpit" is a rambling, breathless first-person tale of debauchery though "I knew it was wrong." However, Oldham is not a hick, but has a poet's gift of language. "The sunlight was stronger to my Church-dark

widened eyes," runs an early line in "Pulpit." It aptly encompasses Oldham's struggle with man's baser and nobler urges.

Oh yes,.......2000-12-01

This is good. Simple, honest, and nothing more. Very few people I know truly enjoy this album, most of the time I end up listening to it alone. "I Was Drunk at the Pulpit" proves that one can write a song using only one chord...

Léhar: The Land of Smiles; The Merry Widow; The Count of Luxembourg (Highlights)

Average customer rating:

Arguably "The Best" English "Merry Widow "

Léhar: The Land of Smiles; The Merry Widow; The Count of Luxembourg (Highlights)

Manufacturer: Class. for Pleas. Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus; The Gypsy Baron (Highlights)
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The Best of Operetta, Vol. 3
The Merry Widow
The Best of Operetta, Vol. 2

ASIN: B00009KHY2
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Customer Reviews:

Arguably "The Best" English "Merry Widow ".......2006-09-12

This is the "Merry Widow" with English translation by Christopher Hassel sung by June Bronhill. I loved this rendition ever since I first heard it in about 1960. What's to love? First the translation is the best I've heard. The language doesn't sound "stilted" as some others. And, you can understand almost every word sung. Plus, the famous song, "Vilja" has some wording that moves me every time I hear it: The soprano sings, "Love me and I'll DIE for you!" with the word "die" somewhat emphasized. I don't know, there's just something "powerful" about someone saying they'd "die" for love! AND, at the end of "Vilja" the chorus and soprano raise to a crescendo hitting a high note together. In many renditions the chorus is heard but not the soprano on the final high note. In THIS version, the soprano, June Bronhill, can be heard rising to the final high note with an incressing crescendo and fortissimo louder than the chorus and holding the final high note---which gives a very thrilling effect as she holds that final note, I assure you!

The "problem" is that this June Bronhill, Reid, and Hassel version is hard to find on CD. For example, this CD is made in Holland and "there is one left" so it says on Amazon. But, if you can find it, I think it would be very much worth a listen. Then, after hearing it, if you think there's a "better" Merry Widow, please let ME know! Thanks. Email:boland7214@aol.

Average customer rating:

I waited for this for five years
Excellent collection but BIG PUBLISHING MISTAKE!
ONE OF LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST COMPILATIONS, DESPITE A FEW FLAWS
SUCH MAGICAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT!
A Must Have for Sir Andrew fans

Andrew Lloyd Webber: Now & Forever
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Gold: The Definitive Hits Collection
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ASIN: B00005R5UJ
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Tracks:

Jesus Christ Superstar: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Jesus Christ Superstar: Everything's Alright - Yvonne Elliman/Murray Head/Ian Gilllan
Jesus Christ Superstar: I Don't Know How To Love Him - Yvonne Elliman
Jesus Christ Superstar: Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) - Steve Balsamo
Jesus Christ Superstar: Superstar - Murray Head
Evita: Oh What A Circus/Sing You Fools - Antonio Banderas
Evita: I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You - Elaine Paige/Joss Ackland
Evita: Another Suitcase In Another Hall - Barbara Dickson
Evita: Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
Evita: High Flying, Adored - Mandy Patinkin/Patti LuPone
Cats: The Jellicle Ball - Andrew Lloyd Weber
Cats: Memory - Elaine Paige
Cats: Gus: The Theatre Cat - Susan Jane Tanner/John Mills
Cats: Mr Mistoffelees - Paul Nicholas
Song And Dance: Take That Look Off Your Face - Marti Webb
Song And Dance: Tell Me On A Sunday - Marti Webb
Song And Dance: Unexpected Song - Sarah Brightman
Song And Dance: Nothing Like You've Ever Known - Sarah Brightman
Song And Dance: Introduction - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Song And Dance: Variations 1 -4 - Andrew Lloyd Webber

Tracks:

Starlight Express: Starlight Express - El Debarge
Starlight Express: Crazy - Greg Ellis/Reva Rice/Caron Cardelle/Samantha Lane/Voyd
Starlight Express: Next Time You Fall In Love - Reva Rice/Greg Ellis
Starlight Express: I Am The Starlight - Lon Satton/Ray Shell
Starlight Express: Light At The End Of The Tunnel - The Company
Requiem: Hosanna - Placido Domingo
Requiem: Pie jesu - Sarah Brightman/Paul Miles-Kingston
The Phantom Of The Opera: The Phantom Of The Opera - Michael Crawford/Sarah Brightman
The Phantom Of The Opera: The Music Of The Night - Michael Crawford
The Phantom Of The Opera: All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Steve Barton
The Phantom Of The Opera: Entr'acte - Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Phantom Of The Opera: Masquerade - The Company
The Phantom Of The Opera: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Sarah Brightman
Aspects Of Love: Aspects Of Aspects - Orchester Der Vereinigten Buehnen Wien
Aspects Of Love: Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
Aspects Of Love: Seeing Is Believing - Michael Ball/Ann Crumb
Aspects Of Love: The First Man You Remember - Kevin Colson/Diana Morrison
Aspects Of Love: Anything But Lonely - Sarah Brightman
Aspects Of Love: Chanson D'Enfance - Sarah Brightman

Tracks:

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Any Dream Will Do - Jason Donovan
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Joseph's Coat - Maria Friedman/Richard Attenborough/Donny Osmond
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Close Every Door - Donny Osmond
By Jeeves: Travel Hopefully - John Scherer/Martin Jarvis/Don Stephenson
By Jeeves: When Love Arrives - Steven Pacey/Diana Morrison
By Jeeves: Half A Moment - Sarah Brightman
Sunset Boulevard: With One Look - Glenn Close
Sunset Boulevard: New Ways To Dream - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
Sunset Boulevard: The Perfect Year - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
Sunset Boulevard: Sunser Boulevard - Alan Campbell
Sunset Boulevard: As If We Never Said Goodbye - Glenn Close
Whistle Down The Wind: Whistle Down The Wind - James Graeme/Lottie Mayor
Whistle Down The Wind: Cold - Everly Brothers
Whistle Down The Wind: No Matter What - Children/Adult Chorus
Whistle Down The Wind: The Nature Of The Beast - Marcus Lovett/Lottie Mayor
The Beautiful Game: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Beautiful Game: The Beautiful Game - The Company
The Beautiful Game: Our Kind Of Love - Hannah Waddingham
The Beautiful Game: Dont Like You - Josie Walker/David Shannon
The Beautiful Game: Let Us Love In Peace - Josie Walker/Omagh Youth Community Choir

Tracks:

Oh What A Circus - David Essex
Memory - Betty Buckley
The Phantom Of The Opera - Sarah Brightman/Steve Harley
All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Cliff Richard
Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
Any Dream Will Do - Donny Osmond
Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life) - Sarah Brightman/Jose Carreras
As If We Never Said Goodbye - Barbra Streisand
The Perfect Year - Dina Carroll
With One Look - Petula Clark
You Must Love Me - Madonna
The Heart Is Slow To Learn - Kiri Te Kanawa
A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste - The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra
Whistle Down The Wind - Tina Arena
No Matter What - Boyzone
The Vaults Of Heaven - Tom Jones
Try Not To Be Afraid - Boy George
Pie Jesu - Charlotte Church

Tracks:

Make Believe Love - Wes Sands
Down Thru' Summer - Ross Hannaman
I'll Give All My Love To Southend - Ross Hannaman
Believe Me I Will - Sacha Distel
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1969 Radio Luxembourg Commercial) - Joseph Consortium/Pete Murray
Try It And See - Rita Pavone
Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You - Time Rice And The Webber Group
Goodbye Seattle - Paul Raven
John 19:41 - The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra
What A Line To Go Out On - Yvonne Elliman
Disillusion Me - Gary Band
The Ballad Of Robert And Peter - Tim Rice
Christmas Dream - Maynard Williams
It's Only Your Lover Returning/All Through My Crazy And Wild Days/Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
It's Easy For You (1977 Jungle Room Session Version) - Elvis Presley
Magdalena - Tony Christie
Buenos Aires - The Roja Rockers
Pollicle Dogs And Jellicle Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Mungojerrie And Rumpleteazer (Live At The Sydmonton Festival 1980) - Gemma Craven
I Could Have Given You More - Petula Clark
I've Been In Love Too Long - Marti Webb
Benedicite - The Stephen Hill Singers

Album Description

Disc 1: Selections from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, and Song and Dance

Disc 2: Selections from Starlight Express, Requiem, Phantom of the Opera, and Aspects of Love

Disc 3: Selections from Joseph nad the Amaziong Technicolor Dreamcoat, By Jeeves, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, and The Beautiful Game

CD 4: 1. "Oh What a Circus" --David Essex 2. "Memory" - Betty Buckleey 3. "The Phantom of the Opera" -Sarah Brightman, Steve Harley 4. "All I Ask of You" --Sarah Brightman, Cliff Richard 5. "Love Changes Everything"--Michael Ball 6. "Any Dream Will Do"--Donny Osmond 7. "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)"--Sarah Brightman, Jose Caerras 8. "As if We Never Said Goodbye"--Barbra Streisand 9. "The Perfect Year"--Dina Carroll 10. "With One Look" --Petula Clark 11. "You Must Love Me" 12. "The Heart Is Slow To Learn" --Kiri Te Kanawa 13. "Whistle Down the Wind"--Tina Arena 14. "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing To Waste"--The Metal Philharmonic 15. "No Matter What"--Boyzone 16. "The Vaults of Heaven"--Tom Jones and Sounds of Blackness 17. "Try Not To Be Afraid"--Boy George 18. "Pie Jesu"--Charlotte Church

Disc 5: (All tracks available for the first time) 1. "Make Believe Love"--Wes Sands 2. "Down Thru' Summer"--Ross Hannaman 3. "I'll Give All My Love to Southend"--Ross Hannaman 4. "Believe Me I Will"--Sacha Distel 5. "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: 1969 Luxembourg Radio Commercial--The Jospeh Consortium, Pete Murray 6. "Try It and See"--Rita Pavone 7. "Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You"--Tim Rice and the Webber Group 8. "Goodbye Seattle"-- Paul Raven 9. "John 19:41"--The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra 10. "What a Line To Go Out On"--Yvonne Elliman 11. "Disillusion Me" --Gary Bond 12. "The Ballad of Robert and Peter"--Tim Rice 13. "Christmas Dream" --Maynard Williams 14. "It's Only Your Lover Returning/All through My Wild and Crazy Days/Don't Cry for Me Argentina--Julie Covington 15. "It's Easy for You" (1977 Jungle Room Session version)--Elvis Presley 16. "Magdalena"--Tony Christie 17. "Buenos Aires"--The Rioja Rockers 18. "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats"--Andrew Lloyd Webber original demo 19. "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" (Live at Sydmonton Festival 1980)-Gemma Craven 20. "I Could Have Given You More"--Petula Clark 21. "I've Been in Love Too Long"--Marti Webb 22. "Benedicte"-- Stephen Hill Singers

Customer Reviews:

I waited for this for five years.......2006-06-30

Between Amazone, Ebay and Napster, I don't usually buy CDs anymore, and I usually wait till I can buy them cheaper "new and used". When this set came out, I was excited, mainly by Disc 5, but wasn't going to spend $70 on it. I waited till it was cheap enough, and got it for Father's day this year.
It was worth the wait.

The concept is great. The packaging is great. The recording is great. Disc five is really cool for an ALW aficionado. There are a few real gems on it; my favorites are Petula Clark's "I Could Have Given You More" and "Benedicite."
I've always thought "Gus the Theatre Cat" made a great medley on the piano with "Unexpected Song" and "I DOn't Know How to Love Him," but wished there was an alternate lyric to match the other two songs. Now that I know there *is*, and it's a good lyric, it's a dream come true.
The melody of "Benedicite" is one of my favorites from _Sunset_ (the book mis-identifies it as "SUrrender"; it's actually "The Lady's Paying" and "Eternal Youth is Worth a Little Suffering"). The lyrics are the canticle from Daniel 3, which comes up every odd Sunday in the Divine Office, so it's nice to have cool music to sing it with.

I haven't bought _By Jeeves_ or _THe Beautiful Game_ yet, to it was great to sample them.

There are other parts of the CD taht aren't found in my collection. I like CD 4 "The Hits."

But the selections on CDs 1-3 don't make sense.

First, any self-respecting ALW fan has the Original London Cast of _Phantom_, so six tracks are totally useless. Why not draw from the Canadian cast with Colm Wilkinson? Or pull out some obscure recordings never published.

Why two different tracks with Michael Ball singing "Love Changes Everything", yet they're hardly any different?

On Disc 5 is "It's Only Your Lover Returning," sung by Julie Covington. It's an early draft of the song (Lloyd Webber and Rice went through several suggested titles) and quite nice. The very thing one expects on a Boxed Set.
So why have the Julie Covington "Don't Cry for Me" on disc 1?? The only difference is a few words, but it's otherwise identical. Why not Elaine Paige or Patti Lupone or Madonna?

The _Evita_ section is otherwise the best, choosing a sample from each major recording, though I'd have chosen slightly differently (as above).

There is a great selection of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" from the Sydmonton festival, using the original music that was changed when _Cats_ went to Broadway_. It would have been nice if they'd included more recordings from Sydmonton, like the original lyric of "All I Ask of You" shown on the second DVD to the _Phantom_ movie.

With so many great actress-singers who've played Norma Desmond, why does the collection beat us over the head with Glenn Close?

Paul Miles Kingston must be set for life in royalties, for the number of albums the original recording of "Pie Jesu" has appeared on. "Amigos Para Siempre" is nice, but it reminds me of Shari Lewis's "The Song that Doesn't End," especially when it's been used on so many compilations.

In short, this is a great collection for the obscure material, if you can get it cheap. But for a boxed set, it's a poor sampling, drawn mostly from the most familiar recordings.

Excellent collection but BIG PUBLISHING MISTAKE! .......2006-01-10

Please beware they made a mistake on this. It's actually the shortened Ray Shell version of STARLIGHT EXPRESS from the original 1984 London cast - NOT the El Debarge single from 1987 like it says on the box. I don't know how they let that goof pass. Sorry to Ray Shell. Having said that, this is an outstanding compilation of Lloyd Webber's greatest hits.

ONE OF LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST COMPILATIONS, DESPITE A FEW FLAWS.......2005-03-21

Regardless of the fact that some of his latest efforts (most notably, The Woman in White) are disappointing, there can be little doubt that Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the greatest composers ever to work in the musical theatre. Ever since his "Jesus Christ Superstar" hit the stage in the early 70-is, it was clear that the conception and perception of musicals are never going to be the same again. Many of his songs became standards not only in the theatre history, but also as tops on the charts. Even though he's British, his influence on the shape of the modern musical theatre expanded over the West End boundaries long ago and has thus made an enormous impact on Broadway. Two of his shows ("Cats" and "The phantom of the opera") hold the record as two the longest running shows in the history of Broadway. He has also been the only composer to have three of his shows running at Broadway concurrently. Some of his awards include three Grammies, a Golden Globe, an Oscar and a bunch of Tony awards. But perhaps most of all, Lloyd Webber is responsible for bringing the musicals and the theatre appealing to the wide audiences, who in different circumstances would not consider seeing a musical. The secret of his success is probably the mixture of beautiful and catchy melodies, interesting subject matter (though some, like Starlight Express, are too thin) and grandiose staging.

Over the years many compilations of his work have emerged. In the late 80-is and early 90-is it was the "Encore" series and lately the one-disc collection called "Gold". The one in question here can be considered one of the best currently on the market. First, it includes a 3-disc selections from all of his shows, minus the latest one, i.e., "The Woman in White", which, considering the triviality of the score, is no great lost. The fourth disc covers some of his most known songs sung by the famous artists. Then, there is the fifth disc with previously unreleased material, most of which are the songs ALW wrote with Tim Rice for various artists during the 70-is. The disks are all neatly packed in a hardcover book that features 67 pages of pictures and text with information about each of ALW's shows. One of the other assets here is the perfect sound quality, since all of the tracks have been digitally remastered.

Here are my basic impressions and comments regarding the material on the discs:

* Disc #1 has the selections from "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita", "Cats" and "Song & Dance". The Superstar material mostly comes from the Concept Recording. Although the songs sound beautiful as always, their orchestration is a bit dated now. Only Steve Balsamo's "Gethsemane" from the 1996 revival cast has a modern rock sound. "Evita" comes with the material from all of the major recordings: London, Broadway and the movie productions, as well as the Concept album. No objections here; since this is one of ALW's most satisfying works, every song is just perfect, although Patti LuPone, the Broadway and overall the best Evita, is left with only a couple of lines. With the selections from "Cats", however, I have some doubts. A plus to the choice of the "Jellicle ball" impressive orchestral sequence from the 1998 movie version and "Mister Mistoffelees" from the 1981 London cast. One of the best known ALW's songs, "Memory", also comes from that album. It's a pretty version and Elaine Paige's rendition cannot be matched, but why include this when the definite version, featuring an 80-piece orchestra and Elaine Paige with much better interpretation, can be found in the same movie version. Thusly, one has to buy Elaine Paige's latest 2-disc compilation "Centre Stage: The very best of Elaine Paige" to get that one. And "Gus the theatre cat" is more a recital than a song, so there was not much point in including that. Marti Webb brings her vocal charm to the "Song & Dance" sequence, Sarah Brightman sings "Unexpected song" with her famous soprano, but as much as I like her version, Bernadette Peters, who was in this show on Broadway is strangely left out here.

* Disc # 2 starts with "Starlight Express". This was never one of my favorite ALW's shows; the plot is even lighter than in "Cats" and the 1984 original cast recording is terribly dated. Yet, here we have one terrific duet, "I am starlight" from the original together with three songs from the later revivals and it seems that fresh orchestrations were just the thing Starlight needed. My favorite remains a touchy ballad, "Next time you fall in love". "Requiem" is the most solemn of all ALW's compositions, written in 1985 to commemorate the death of his father. Placido Domingo's tenor rides together with the chorus all the way through the strong "Hosanna", only to be joined by Sarah Brightman in the final moments of this song. She then gives an echoing deliverance of "Pie Jesu". What can be said of ALW's next show, "The Phantom of the Opera"? A phenomenon in its own right, it's easy to see from the six numbers included here why this is one of the best and most beloved musicals of all time. The cast, the music, the story - everything is perfect. Although "Aspects of love" was never a popular hit, it does have some of the most beautiful love melodies ALW has ever written. "Love changes everything" sung by Michael Ball is probably one of the best tunes ever about love. The rest of the selected material here has a dreamy love flavor and the melodies find their way into your brain in the best Lloyd Webber way.

* ALW's first musical, "Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was more successful in its revival form than the original from the 70-is. The three songs included here are sung by the show stars, Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond. Maria Friedman was not a lucky choice to play the narrator, as the track from the 1998 movie version shows. "By Jeeves" was ALW's only big flop when it came to the stage in the 70-is. The 1995 revival sounds much better though, full of funny numbers in the best manner of the musical comedy. "Travel hopefully" remains one of the show's highlights on this compilation. "Sunset Boulevard" comes next. "Sunset" remains for me one of Webber's best scores; lush and beautiful. I listen to the original cast recording with Patti LuPone all the time. However, here most of the songs are performed by Glenn Close. A big mistake. If you've ever listened the American premiere recording with her, you'll know what I am talking about. She may have a strong stage presence, but her vocal abilities are too limited, and her aggressive approach to the role lacks any subtlety. Therefore, the two big numbers from this show, "With one look" and "As if we never said goodbye" are ruined by the fact she can't sing. The same goes for the American Joe Gillis, who was played by Alan Campbell. Luckily, Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson, the original Norma and Joe from the London production, make their brief entrance here with the "Perfect year"; enough to show how better they are. The funny thing is, on the jacket and inside of it, Glenn Close and Alan Campbell are credited as performers in this song as well. If this was a mistake on ALW's part, it was a good one. The next ALW's show, "Whistle down the wind" was never a critic's dear and yet the audiences rushed in to see it in London. The score brings back ALW to his rock and roll roots of the seventies and the story is quite interesting. But the selections here are not the happiest, since the cast recording boasts with much better songs. And finally, "The Beautiful Game". Again, we have one of those ALW's shows that is worth in its individual parts rather than as a whole. "Our kind of love" and "Let us love in peace" are two catchy ballads. The latter is a nice amalgam version not available elsewhere. The two other tracks here I could live without.

* Disc # 4 has the songs from all the above shows performed by different artists. The assembled tracks have their pros and cons. For example, we have some previously unreleased stuff, like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's operettic rendition of "The heart is slow to learn", or a stunning and epic "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste" from "Whistle down the wind", performed by The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra. Then again, what was the point in including almost identical tracks as the ones on the previous disks? So we have Michael Ball again singing "Love changes everything" with only a bit different orchestration; Sarah Brightman comes out again with the same Phantom duets, but only with the different male singers. It would be much more appropriate to include tracks from the Toronto Cast of the Phantom, with Colm Wilkinson. Other pop deliverances (Tina Arena's "Whistle down the wind", Barbra Streisand's "As if we never said goodbye", Boyzone's "No matter what" and many more) were wisely chosen. Patti LuPone is again nowhere to be found and Petula Clark's "With one look" sounds too worn-out.

* The last disc is probably the one that will be of most interest to Lloyd Webber aficionados. It consists of entirely previously unreleased material ALW for the most part wrote for various artists during his early years, with Tim Rice. Some of these tunes, not successful as a singles, were later used in his shows. Thus "Down thru' summer" became "Buenos Aires"in Evita, "Try it and see", an unsuccessful attempt for the Eurovision was used for "King Herod's song" in "Superstar" and so on. Some of these songs are nicely made pop songs: "Make believe love", ALW's first recorded composition, for which he provided the lyrics; "Goodbye Seattle", sung by Paul Raven, who later became Gary Glitter; "Come back Richard, your country needs you", from a never made musical, sung here by Tim Rice, or Latin flavored "Magdalena", with Tony Christie singing. My all time favorite here is a song called "It's easy for you", sung by none other than Elvis Presley himself. Lloyd Webber and Rice sent him a demo recording that he accepted and recorded this live version a couple of weeks before he died. It's amazing to hear how his voice remained in the perfect shape. Also, there is a track of Andrew Lloyd Webber singing "Policle dogs and Jellicle cats" while plying the piano. His voice doesn't sound bad at all.

Taken as a whole, this compilation makes a perfect birthday or Christmas present to any fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, or just anybody interested in some of the best tunes from the modern era of the musical theatre; despite the flaws I mentioned above. To the former, it may just be the final addition for the Andrew Lloyd Webber collection.

SUCH MAGICAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT!.......2003-01-19

"Evita." "Sunset Blvd." "Starlight Express." "Jesus Christ Superstar." "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." "Requiem." "Aspects of Love." The man who is the most recognized composer in the history of the musical theatre, the man who has won more Tonys than any other composer, the man who boasts the best-selling show of all time ("The Phantom of the
Opera") and the longest-running show of all time ("Cats"), the man whose homes are filled with three Grammys, five Oliviers, a Golden Globe, and Oscar and too many other honors and hosannas to mention, the man knighted in 1992 certainly doesn't need an introduction. Now Decca Broadway pays tribute to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with "Now and Forever," a spectacular 5-CD set compiled and produced by Sir Andy himself. It's cheaper than a
ticket to "The Producers" ... and more much exciting. This treasure trove contains highlights from all of Webber's shows, and a bonus disc of tunes sung by Betty Buckley, Barbara
Streisand, Jose Carreras, Boy George, Charlotte Church, Madonna, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, even Elvis! A must for lovers of theatre---and good music.

A Must Have for Sir Andrew fans.......2002-05-21

This five-CD collection of Andrew Lloyd Webber's career is fantastic. It leaves virtually no stone unturned. I have no doubt that diehard Webber fans will love this, especially for the 5th disc entitled "From the Vaults." This disc alone is worth the price as it contains tunes never before heard by the typical fan. Who knew Elvis did a Lloyd Webber tune?!? I didn't! Also the tune "Benedictine" which the composer wrote for his most recent marriage is not only pretty, but it has the same medley as "The Lady's Paying" from "Sunset Blvd." which I found highly enjoyable. Another great track is the composer himself singing a cut song from "Cats" entitled "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats" which has the same tune as "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats," but to hear Sir Andrew sing is a blast...he sounds a lot like Al "Year of the Cat" Stewart.
The cuts from the musicals are great but are likely owned by ALW fans as they are on the original cast albums. And I'm glad that there were tunes included from the composers most recent efforts which have yet to make it beyond London (Whistle Down the Wind, Beautiful Game).
My only complaint is the inclusion of way too many tracks by Sarah Brightman. She must've received a great divorce settlement that included having tunes on any ALW collection until the end of time!! Her interpretations of some of the tunes were limp and uninspired. I would've much rather heard casts from around the world rather than yet another song by this disdainful soprano! How about Colm Wilkinson's version of "Music of the Night" from the original Canadian cast of "Phantom"? Or Michael Crawford's version of "Unexpected Song"? What? No Betty Buckley from "Sunset Blvd."? And of course there are songs you KNOW are going to be on the collection before you even listen to it as they have been on EVERY ALW collection for the past decade or so.
A great collection but too much Sarah Brightman!

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The Tao of Cello

Manufacturer: Valley
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Dark Wood
Cello
Musical Massage: Balance
Eight String Religion
Epigraphs

ASIN: B000088EH9
Release Date: 2003-04-08

Tracks:

Restraint Begins With Giving Up One's Own Ideas
Man Follows The Earth
When Men Lack A Sense Of Awe, There Will Be A Disaster
The Tao Of Heaven Is To Take Form Those Who Have Too Much And Give To Those Who Have To Little
Man Follows The Earth. Earth Follows Heaven. Heaven Follows The Tao. Tao Follows What It Natural
Knowing Others Is Wisdoms
The Further You Go, The Less You Know
It Is Not Wise To Rush About
Returning Is The Motion Of The Tao
See Simplicity In The Complicated
In Dealing With Others, Be Gentle And Kind
He Who Is Filled With Virtue Is Like A Newborn Child
Yield And Overcome
What Is Firmly Grasped Cannot Slip Away
Tao Follows The Earth
Become As A Child Once More
Sometimes One Is Up And Sometimes Down
Just Do What Needs To Be Done
That Is Why A Victory Must Be Observed Life A Funeral
All Men Will Come To Him Who Keeps To The One
The Valley Spirit Never Dies
Heaven And Earth Last Forever

Product Description

1. Restraint Begins With Giving Up One's Own Ideas
2. Man Follows The Earth
3. When Men Lack A Sense Of Awe, There Will Be A Disaster
4. The Tao Of Heaven Is To Take From Those Who Have Too Much And Give To Those Who Have Too Little
5. Man Follows The Earth, Earth Follows Heaven, Heaven Follows The Tao, Tao Follows What Is Natural
6. Knowing Others Is Wisdom
7. The Further You Go, The Less You Know
8. It Is Not Wise To Rush About
9. Returning Is The Motion Of The Tao
10. See Simplicity In The Complicated
11. In Dealing With Others, Be Gentle And Kind
12. He Who Is Filled With Virtue Is Like A Newborn Child
13. Yield And Overcome
14. What Is Finally Grapsed Cannot Slip Away
15. Tao Follows The Earth
16. Become As A Child Once More
17. Sometimes One Is Up And Sometimes Down
18. Just Do What Needs To Be Done
19. That Is Why A Victory Must Be Observed Like A Funeral
20. All Men Will Come To Him Who Keeps To The One
21. The Valley Spirit Never Dies
22. Heaven And Earth Last Forever (Improvisation On Bach Suite II, Praeluium)

Format: CD

Carmen (Sung in English)
Average customer rating:

English is an asset and a drawback

You Will Love Opera After Hearing Carmen In English

A wholly credible "Carmen" -- finally!

I love Carmen!

Carmen (Sung in English)
Bizet , Bardon , Gavin , Plazas , Magee , and Parry
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Mozart: The Magic Flute

The Barber of Seville / B. Ford, D. Jones, A. Opie; G. Bellini [in English]

Verdi: La Traviata

Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro

Mozart - Don Giovanni / Garry Magee · Cullagh · Banks · Plazas · Shore · Tierny · PO · David Parry

ASIN: B00007JGRN
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

Prelude
In The Plaza
Just Look At That Delicious Morsel
Here Come Our New Soldier Boys
Jose! There Was A Girl Here Looking For You Just Now
Off With You Old Soldier Boys
Corporal! Sir!
We Have Heard The Bell Summon Us To Meet Here
Ah, Just Look!
But Why Hasn't She Come, Our Carmencita?
Love's A Bird Wild As Any Rebel
Carmen! We Will Follow You High And Low!
The Cheek Of It!
Give Me News Of My Mother!
Your Dear Mother And I Were Leaving Church This Morning
I See My Mother's Face!
Wait A Moment - I'm Going To Read The Letter
Come And Help
So, Corporal: Tell Me What Happened
Well, Carmencita: What Do You Have To Say For Yourself?
Where Are You Taking Me?
There's An Old Bar In The City
Careful - It's Lieutenant!
Entr'acte
From Far Away Mysterious Sounds
Bravo, Bravo! More! Keep Dancing!
Hurrah! Hurrah! The Torero!
Who's That? It's Escamillo, The Bullfighter From Granada
Hurrah! Hurrah! The Torero!
You're Most Kind
We'll Come With You, Senor Torero
Toreador, Be Ready!
At Last! We Got Rid Of Them As Quickly As We Could
There's A Little Job That We're Starting!
Being In Love Is Not A Reason

Tracks:

To Bid You Welcome To Our Bar
La La La La La La La La...
Back To Camp!... Go At Once!
That Flow'r You Threw To Me I Treasured
No, It's Not Love At All!
Hello! Carmen!
Lieutenant Fair, It's True
The Sky Above The Open Road
Entr'acte
Keep Going, Dear Old Friend, Kep Going!
Right! Let's Stop For A While
Shuffle! Cut Them!
In Vain You Would Avoid The Bitter Things They're Saying
You're Back!
As For That Man, It Should Be Easy!
Is This The Place?
I Say That There's Nothing To Fear
It's Him! I'm Sure It's Him Over There!
Escamillo Is My Name, And I Come From Granada
She Had A Lover Here
Hola! Hola! Jose!
You Should Take Care, Carmen
Alas! Jose, Your Mother Is Ill
Entr'acte
A Few Cuartos! A Few Cuartos!
Here They Come! Here They Come!
If You Love Me, Carmen
It's You! It's Me!
Viva! Viva! What A Corrida!

Customer Reviews:

English is an asset and a drawback.......2004-07-20

The best thing about this recording of Carmen is the libretto. Conductor David Parry penned this facile and dramatic English translation. He avoids the pitfalls of literal translation to achieve an idiomatic flow that matches the rhythm of the original lyrics. I use this as a reference libretto for any of the French Carmens.

Unfortunately, the performance suffers from being sung in English. The singers declaim their parts with such proper British diction that Carmen comes across as a school marm. The spoken dialog is delivered beat for deliberate beat and is dripping with reverb. It makes the plaza, tavern and mountain pass all sound like a sewer pipe.

This is a good first Carmen for someone trying to understand the work. The libretto itself is a good investment for further listening. For an enjoyable performance with an emphasis on character and action, I recommend Regina Resnik on the London Double Decker set.

You Will Love Opera After Hearing Carmen In English.......2004-02-09

What a perfect introduction to opera. This newly released recording will surely get you hooked into opera. Carmen, a French opera by Georges Bizet, is the most recognizable and most popular in the opera world. It's famous melodies- the overture, the Habanera, The Toreador Song have all been featured in everything from cellular phone ring tones to Superbowl Commercial (last year's Superbowl with The "Opera In English" label has been making Italian operas into English for a number of years now. Also on the market are Verdi's La Traviata in English (with soprano Valerie Masterson as Violetta) Handel's Julius Caesar with Janet Baker and even Wagner's epic Ring Of The Nibeling sung in English. This is a terrific recording and I highly recommend it if you want to get into opera. Listen to this version first and then try the real, original French version Bizet had written. Patricia Bardon is sensational, sexy and dramatic as Carmen.

The real strength of this version is the dynamic drama. With the advantage of being sung in English, we get better insight on characters' emotions and motives, and we understand the drama a lot better. Carmen is all about great drama. Bizet drew the plot from the French writer Prosper Merimee's dark short story. Carmen is the ultimate femme fatale- a devil-may-care, sexy Gypsy living in Spain, seduces the conservatively raised soldier Don Jose, stealing him away from his fiancee, the passive Micaela, living a life of underground smuggling and rowdy taverns. "Habanera" and "The Gypsy Song and Dance" are very expressive of Carmen's extraordinarily liberal lifestyle. Don Jose, however, has fallen deeply in love- as he shows us in his song/aria "The Flower Song". But Carmen soon becomes tired of his constancy. Don Jose wants a committed, monogamous relationship with Carmen. But Carmen will not submit to love, since she is first and foremost a carnal creature. Eventually, she falls for the handsome Toreador Escamillo. Don Jose, consumed by jealousy, stabs Carmen at a bullfight after Carmen declares her love for Escamillo and rejects Don Jose's love. Don Jose's crazed, obscessive personality shines through in the English version as well. This tragedy has been done in English before so don't think this is the first time. Back in the 50's, there was a film, starring black actors "Carmen Jones" which was treated the same way as this opera- more like an English Broadway musical and with the dubbed singing voice of Marilyn Horne as Carmen. All in all, this recording is excellent.

A wholly credible "Carmen" -- finally!.......2003-09-17

This recording really sells "Carmen" as a drama. Although I have two other recordings of this opera and have seen it performed several times, it never quite worked for me dramatically. But thanks to the fine performances, conducting, and translation here, I've become a "Carmen" convert. Producing a good English-language performance of a foreign opera, especially a warhorse like "Carmen," is much more difficult than it might appear. You need performers who not only can sing the parts (of course) but also can sing *English* and make it halfway intelligible and make it sound like English and make it dramatically convincing to English-speakers. The singers on this recording do an excellent job all around. Don't be put off if you don't recognize their names -- they are up to the task musically and (especially) in their acting. Admittedly, as with *all* English-language recordings, some passages are very hard to understand without reading along, but most of the time the words are clear and effective. I would recommend this recording to any opera beginner or opera lover, even those who normally turn up their noses at performances in translation.

I love Carmen!.......2003-08-15

I do. I can think of no other opera with more melodic inventiveness, and few others with so sure a dramatic pulse. Carmen is popular and it thrills me to say that it is also a very good opera - not always true of popular things.

And what of this recording? Carmen sits well in English, so it is good to hear in translation, although some of the detais in the text jar. Escamillo refers to Jose as "my dear", which sounds rather peculiar, and the guide's line to Micaela: "it's not exactly inviting, is it?" sounds distinctly Middle England rather than Rural Spain. Some of the performers, not least Carmen herself, make the words work, although there are long tracts, especially with the chorus, where the language is distinctly indistinct.

The soloists are, by and large, strong. Patricia Bardon's deep, Handel-friendly voice adapts well to Carmen and she colours the music with phenomenal detail, sounding sexy and provocative from the start with an edge of pride and anger that emerges as the show goes on. She is out of her depth above the stave, though, and some extra top notes in the second act don't show her off to her best advantage. I have previously said that Julian Gavin is poorly served by recordings, though here he sounds much more even and gives a thrilling and musical performance (but his wooden spoken lines let him down). Mary Plazas is a lovely Micaela, rich-voiced and sincere (and word-perfect), but Garry Magee sounds miscast as Escamillo, lacking the ballast at the bottom of the voice to do justice to this tricky role.

The supporting cast is good (Mary Hegarty seems to do nothing but Frasquita these days!) but the really treasurable thing is the conducting. Stepping out of Italian Ottocento, David Parry turns his hand to this French Comedie with an appropriate lightness of touch. His pacing and handling of the set pieces is exemplary and the enrtractes go with a real swing.

A pleasure, then, for the Carmen naive or a novelty for the Carmen-acquainted. I nearly wrote Carmen-weary - but I don't think it's possible.

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers
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Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers

Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Sullivan: Yeomen Of The Guard/Trial By Jury

ASIN: B0000041VC
Release Date: 2003-04-08

Tracks:

Ov
Act I: List And Learn
Act I: Good Morrow, Pretty Maids
Act I: For The Merriest Fellows Are We
Act I: See, See At Last They Come To Make Their Choice
Act I: Buon Giorno, Signorine!
Act I: We're Called Gondolieri, But That's a Vagary
Act I: And Now To Choose Our Brides!
Act I: Are You Peeping?
Act I: Thank You Gallant Gondolieri
Act I: From The Sunny Spanish Shore
Act I: In Enterprise Of Martial Kind
Act I: O Rapture, When Alone Together
Act I: There Was A Time, A Time For Ever Gone
Act I: I Stole The Prince
Act I: But, Bless My Heart, Consider My Position!
Act I: Try We Life-Long We Can Never
Act I: Bride-Groom And Bride!
Act I: When A Merry Maiden Marries
Act I: Kind Sir, You Cannot Have The Heart, Our Lives To Part
Act I: Do Not Give Way To This Uncalled-For Grief
Act I: Then One Of Us Wiil Be A Queen

Tracks:

Act I: Now Pray, What Is The Cause Of This Remarkable Hilarity
Act I: Replying, We Sing As One Individual
Act I: For Ev'ryone Who Feels Inclined
Act I: Come Let's Away-Our Island Crown Awaits Me
Act I: Now, Marco Dear, My Wishes Hear
Act I: Then Away They Go To An Island Fair
Act II: Of Happiness The Very Pith
Act II: Rising Early In The Morning
Act II: Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes
Act II: Here We Are, At The Risk Of Our Lives
Act II: After Sailing To This Land
Act II: Dance A Cachucha, Fandango, Bolero
Act II: There Lived A King, As I've Been Told
Act II: In A Contemplative Fashion And A Tranquil Frame Of Mind
Act II: With Ducal Pomp And Ducal Pride
Act II: This Polite Attention
Act II: On The Day When I Was Wedded
Act II: To Help Unhappy Commoners
Act II: Small Titles And Orders For Mayors And Recorders
Act II: I Am A Courtier Grave And Serious
Act II: Here Is A Case Unprecedented!
Act II: Now Let The Loyal Lieges Gather Round
Act II: Speak Woman Speak, We're All Attention!
Act II: The Royal Prince Was By The King Entrusted
Act II: Luiz! Casilda
Act II: One More, Gondolieri

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Shakespeare's Songbook, Vols. 1 & 2

Manufacturer: Azica
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Shakespeare's Songbook
Songs and Dances from Shakespeare
Shakespeare Songs
Shakespeare's Musick (Songs & Dances from Shakespeare's Plays) / Pickett, Musicians of the Globe
William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B0002IQL08
Release Date: 2004-07-06

Tracks:

Ah Robin (Round)
And Let Me The Cannikin Clink
And Will He Not Come Again
Be Merry, Be Merry
Black Spirits
Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind
Bonny Sweet Robin
But Shall I Go Mourn
Can'st Thou Not Hit It
Come Away
Come Away, Hecate
Come Live With Me
Come O'er The Burn
Come Thou Monarch (Version 2)(Round)
Come Unto These Yellow Sands
A Cup Of Wine
Farewell, Dear Heart
Fathers That Wear Rags
Fear No More
Fie On Sinful Fantasy
Fill The Cup (Round)
Flout 'Em And Cout 'Em (Round)
Fools Had Ne'er Less Grace
For I'll Cut My Green Coat
The Friar And The Nun
Full Fathom Five
The George Alow (Version 1)
Get You Hence
The God Of Love
Hark, Hark The Lark
Have I Caught My Heavenly Jewel
Heart's Ease
Hold Thy Peace (Version 2)(Round)
Honor, Riches
I Am Gone Sir
I Loathe The I Did Love
It Was A Lover And His Lass
Jepha
Jog On
Jolly Shepherd (Round)
King Stephen Was A Worthy Peer
Lawn As White
Love, Love, Nothing But Love (Version 2)
The Master, The Swabber (Version 2)
No More Dams
An Old Hare Hoar (Version 1)
O Mistress Mine (Version 1)
Orpheus With His Lute
O Sweet Oliver
Pardon Goddess Of The Night
Roses Their Sharp Spines
Sigh No More, Ladies
Some Men For Sudden Joy (Version 1)
Take, O Take Those Lips
Tell Me, Where Is Fancy Bred
That Sir Which Serves
There Dwelt A Man In Babylon (Version 1)
There Was Three Fools
Three Merry Men (Round)
Tomorrow Is St. Valentine's Day
Under The Greenwood Tree
Up And Down (Round)
Urns And Odours Bring Away
Walsingham
Was This Fair Face
Wedding Is Great Juno's Crown
What Shall He Have (Round)
When Arthur First In Court
When Daffodils Begin To Peer
When Daisies Pied
When Griping Grief
When Icicles Hang By The Wall
When That I Was And A Little Tyne Boy
Where The Bee Sucks
While You Here Do Snoring Lie
Who Is Silvia
Why Let The Strucken Deer
Willow, Willow (Version 1)
Will You Buy Any Tape
The Woosel Cock
You Spotted Snakes

Tracks:

Awake, Awake
Battle Of Agincourt
Bride's Goodmorrow
Broom
Callino
Carmen's Whitle
Chi Passa
Come Kiss Me, Kate (Round)
Come Thou Monarch (Version 1)
Cup Of Wine (Version 1)
Damon
Daphne
Diana (2 Versions)
Dulcina
Eglamore
Eighty-Eight
Fortune My Foe
George Alow (Version 2)
Glass Doth Run
Goddesses
Go From My Window
Greensleeves (2 Versions)
Guy Of Warwick
Hem Boys (2 Versions)
Hey Ho for A Husband (2 Versions)
Hobbyhorse
Hold Thy Peace (Versions 1 & 3)
Hunt's Up
I Cannot Come Every Day (2 Versions)
In Crete
In Peascod Time
Jack Boy (Round)
King Cophetua
King Lear
King Solomon
Light O Love
Loath To Depart (2 Versions)
Love, Love (Version 1)
Master, Swabber (Version 1)
Mounsier Mingo
Mounsieur's Almaine
My Mind To Me
Nutmegs (Of All The Birds)
Nutmegs (Wooing Of The Baker's Daughter)
O Death (2 Versions)
Old Hare Hoar (Version 2)
O Mistress Mine (Version 2)
O' The Twelfth Day Of December
Oyster Pie
Peg A Ramsey (2 Versions)
Phillida (3 Versions)
Please One
Pyramus
Queen Dido (2 Versions)
Ratcatcher
Rich Jew
Robin Goodfellow
Robin Hood
Rogero
Rowland
Sellenger's Round
Shore's Wife (2 Versions)
Sick, Sick (3 Vesions)
Some Men For Sudden Joy (Round)
There Dwelt A Man (Version 2)
Titus Andronicus
Tom A Bedlam (2 Versions)
Troilus
Troy Town
Wellady
Whenas We Sat In Babylon
Where Is The Life
Whoop
Why Let The Strucken (If Care Do Cause)
Willow, Willow (Version 2)
Will Ye Buy A Fine Dog
With A Fading

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The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004SSJR
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Tracks:

The Mikado: Overture
The Mikado: A Wandering Minstrel I
The Mikado: Our Great Mikado, Virtuous Man
The Mikado: Young Man, Despair
The Mikado: Behold The Lord High Executioner!...Taken From The County Jail
The Mikado: As Some Day It May Happen
The Mikado: Three Little Maids From School Are We
The Mikado: Were You Not To Ko-Ko Plighted
The Mikado: I Am So Proud
The Mikado: The Sun, Whose Rays
The Mikado: Here's A How-De-Do!
The Mikado: Miya Sama (Entrance Of The Mikado)
The Mikado: A More Humane Mikado Never
The Mikado: The Criminal Cried
The Mikado: See How The Fates Their Gifts Allot
The Mikado: The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring
The Mikado: Alone, And Yet Alive!...Hearts Do Not Break!
The Mikado: On A Tree By A River
The Mikado: There Is Beauty In The Bellow Of The Blast
The Mikado: For He's Gone And Married Yum-Yum
Trail By Jury: The Learned Jungle
H.M.S. Pinafore: I'm Called Litttle Buttercup
H.M.S. Pinafore: My Gallant Crew...I Am The Captain Of The Pinafore
Sorry Her Lot Who Loves Too Well
H.M.S. Pinafore: When I Was A Lad I Served A Term

Tracks:

H.M.S. Pinafore: Fair Moon, To Thee I Sing
H.M.S. Pinafore: Things Are Seldom What They Seem
H.M.S. Pinafore: The Hours Creep On Apace
H.M.S. Pinafore: Never Mind The Why And Wherefore
The Pirates Of Penzance: Oh, Better Far To Live And Die
The Pirates Of Penzance: Oh, Is There Not One Maiden Breast
The Pirates Of Penzance: Poor Wandering One!
The Pirates Of Penzance: I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General
The Pirates Of Penzance: When The Foeman Bears His Steel
The Pirates Of Penzance: Ah, Leave Me Not To Pine
The Pirates Of Penzance: When A Felon's Not Engaged In His Employment
The Pirates Of Penzance: With Cat-Like Tread
Patience: The Soldiers Of Our Queen...If You Want A Receipt For That Popular Mystery
Patience: Am I Alone And Unobserved...If You're Anxious For To Shine
Patience: Sad Is That Woman's Lot...Silvered Is The Raven Hair
Patience: A Magnet Hung In A Hardware Shop
Patience: Love Is A Plaintive Song
Patience: So Go To Him And Say To Him
Patience: When I Go Out Of Door
Patience: After Much Debate (Finale Act 2)
Iolanthe: When I Went To The Bar As A Very Young Man
The Lady Of My Love...(Finale Act 1)

Tracks:

When All Night Long A Chap Remains
When Britain Really Ruled The Waves
When You're Lying Awake With A Dismal Headache
If You Go In, You're Sure To Win
Ruddigore: My Boy, May Take It From Me
Ruddigore: The Battle's Roar Is Over
Ruddigore: In Sailing O'er Life's Ocean Wide
Ruddigore: You Understand?
Ruddigore: When The Night Wind Howls
Ruddigore: My Eyes Are Fully Open
Ruddigore: There Grew A Little Flower
The Gondoliers: We're Called Gondolieri
The Gondoliers: From The Sunny Spanish Shore...In Enterprise Of Martial Kind
The Gondoliers: I Stole The Prince
The Gondoliers: When A Merry Maiden Marries
The Gondoliers: Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes
The Gondoliers: Dance A Cachucha, Fandango, Bolero
The Gondoliers: There Lived A King, As I've Been Told
The Gondoliers: I Am A Courtier Grave And Serious
The Yeoman Of The Guard: I Have A Song To Sing, O!
The Yeoman Of The Guard: How You Say Maiden, Will You Wed
The Yeoman Of The Guard: Where I Thy Bride
The Yeoman Of The Guard: Oh! A Private Buffoon Is A Light Hearted Loon
The Yeoman Of The Guard: Comes The Pretty Young Bride

Average customer rating:

weak voices
LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST OF IN A SINGLE DISC
Webber's best

Gold

Manufacturer: Umvd Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Broadway & Vocalists | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005YNAL
Release Date: 2002-01-01

Tracks:

Superstar - Murray Head, Trinidad Singers
I Don't Know How to Love Him - Yvonne Elliman
Don't Cry for Me Argentina - Julie Covington
Oh What a Circus - David Essex
Take That Look Off Your Face - Marti Webb
Memory - Elaine Paige
Pie Jesu - Sarah Brightman, Paul Miles-Kingston
Phantom of the Opera - Sarah Brightman, Steve Harley
All I Asky of You - Sarah Brightman, Cliff Richard
Music of the Night - Michael Crawford
Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
Any Dream Will Do - Jason Donovan
Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life) - Sarah Brightman, Josarreras
Perfect Year - Dina Carroll
As If We Never Said Goodbye - Barbra Streisand
You Must Love Me - Madonna
Whistle Down the Wind - Tina Arena
No Matter What - Boyzone

Customer Reviews:

weak voices.......2006-01-21

I don,t need to write a book to tell you about this disc.I will leave that to the ones that write as if they are getting paid by the word.
Dont waste your money on this cd. There are a lot of singers on this cd. that dont have the voices and the range and richness to be singing this music. buy one with the best of the singers who sang in the stage productions.

LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST OF IN A SINGLE DISC.......2005-01-07

There are numerous compilations out on the market full of Lloyd Webber's music. As most people know, Lloyd Webber is the most successful musical composer of all time and many of his songs became standards not only in the theatre history, but also as tops on the charts. This is the compilation Lloyd Webber personally supervised and it is the best thing to have if you can't afford his five-CD compilation called "Now and forever", which was selected and supervised by him as well. You should bear in mind, however, that there are two compilations called Gold out there: This one is for the British and the European market. There is another one, issued later and digitally remastered, aimed at the American buyers and although some songs are repeated on both of them, they contain different songs or the same songs sung by different artists. Therefore you should check your favourites and buy accordingly, or, if you can, buy them both.

So here are my thoughts about the tracks in this one:

1. "Superstar" and "I don't know how to love him" are both from the concept album of "Jesus Christ Superstar". They sound wonderful as ever.

2. "Don't cry for me Argentina" is beautifully performed by Julie Covington, who was Evita at the 1976 concept album. She sounds like Madonna, only much better and the London philharmonics are the best orchestra ever used in this song. David Essex sings "Oh what a circus" with a strong voice, in my view, much better than Mandy Patinkin.

3. From "Tell me on a Sunday" we have "Take that look of your face" sung by Marti Webb. This studio version blends perfectly Marti's voice and the strong back vocals.

4."Memory" from "Cats" is probably the most famous of all Webber's songs, recorded by numerous artists. The one here is from the London cast recording, sung by Elaine Paige. I love Elaine's version very much, but this one is not the definite one. Her best rendition of this song, with the much matured voice, can be heard in "Cats" DVD or in her latest two-disc compilation, "Centre stage: The very best of Elaine Paige", issued in May 2004.

5. "Pie Jesu" is the best known song from Webber's "Requiem". Sarah Brightman is joined by a young boy soprano Paul Miles-Kingston in this solemn deliverance. Very pretty.

6. "The Phantom of the Opera" is represented by three songs in their single versions. In the song of the same title, we have Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley sounding very appropriate, although my favourite will always be the one with Sarah and Michael Crawford, which can be found on the American version of this compilation. Cliff Richard and Sarah sing the lovely ballad "All I ask of you" with passion, and Cliff has a wonderful warmth in his voice. Finally, Michael Crawford gives his unique and mesmerising interpretation in "The music of the night".

7. "Aspects of love" boast here with its top song, "Love changes everything", performed wonderfully by Michael Ball. It was his #1 hit and is probably one of the most beautiful love anthems ever written.

8. "The Joseph and his amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was Webber's first musical and the signature song "Any dream will do" is performed here by Jason Donovan with a youthful warmness. Wonderful pop piece.

9. For the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Webber wrote, together with his long-time lyricist Don Black, this next song, "Amigos para siempre or Friends for life". It's a nice duet between Sarah Brightman and Jose Carreras, their voices are a perfect fit. The melody itself is neat, especially when the orchestra takes the lead.

10. "Sunset Boulevard" is marked here with two songs. Barbra Streisand's powerful voice shines all the way through in "As if we never said goodbye"; it's a shame she never played Norma Desmond on Broadway, since Patti LuPone wasn't allowed to take her Norma to New York, and Glenn Close butchered the role. "The perfect year" is here in its single version, sung splendidly by Dina Carroll, and it sounds much better with this orchestration than in the show on stage.

11. As we approach the end, we have an Academy Award winner, that is, "You must love me" with Madonna, from the 1996 movie version of "Evita". This is another wonderful ballad with the haunting cello and piano solo. It just proves that Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice were the best collaborators. They really should do another musical together.

12. The last two songs are from "Whistle down the wind". The first song has the same title and it's a pop single performed by Tina Arena. She has a really strong voice and the drums and guitars here are a well made combination. Boyzone's "No matter what" was a huge pop hit in the charts. Again, we have a song with the suitable orchestrations and vocals.

All in all, this CD is a must have for all the Webber fans. It works well as the background music or on the headphones. The booklet contains some pictures and an introductory text. The sound quality is excellent. Every song here really is a pure gold.

Webber's best.......2002-07-05

This CD is subtitled "The Definitive Hit Singles Collection." And that it is. Eighteen tracks include the best known Webber hits. Julie Covington does "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." If you haven't heard the other side of the Evita story, you need to hear David Essex's "Oh What a Circus," an answer to "Don't Cry . . ." Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley do "The Phantom of the Opera," and Michael Crawford does "The Music of the Night." Barbra Streisand does "As if We Never Said Goodbye," Michael Ball does "Love Changes Everything," Marti Webb does "Take That Look Off Your Face," and Madonna does "You Must Love Me." The rest of the album is not filler; is top notch Webber, truly a collection of hit singles.

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

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